Eknomia propodeator Santos et Aguiar, 2012

Santos, Bernardo F. & Aguiar, Alexandre P., 2012, Phylogeny and description of Eknomia, a morphologically unusual new genus of Neotropical Cryptinae (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae), with three new species, Zootaxa 3237 (1), pp. 35-52 : 48-51

Eknomia propodeator Santos et Aguiar , sp. nov.

( Figs 9–13 )

Description. Holotype female. Fore wing 12.25 mm long. HEAD. Weakly triangular, in front view slightly wider than high, ventrally moderately narrower than dorsally. Mandible densely punctate, with moderately dense and long hairs; MLW 1.43, MWW 1.40; dorsal tooth dorsally pointed, ventrally subquadrate, not subdivided. Malar space narrow, MSM 0.45. CHW 2.79, clypeus somewhat trapezoidal, CWW 2.00, nearly entirely flattened, centrally distinctly concave. Supraclypeal area densely punctate-scabriculous. Antenna with 36 flagellomeres. Supraantennal area laterally polished, medially with concentric rugulosities, with weak median carina, ventrally distinctly concave. Occipital carina distinctly raised, ventrolaterally angled, dorsally somewhat acuminate.

THORAX. Pronotum glabrate, mostly impunctate, sparsely punctate at collar, at dorsal margin and along dorsal margin of collar very weakly striate, strongly striate along its posterior margin; epomia represented by a very short and raised ridge. Mesoscutum 1.30 × as long as wide, sparsely pilose, lateral lobes moderately punctate, central lobe very densely punctate, near posterior apex of notaulus weakly rugulose; notaulus reaching about 0.67 of mesoscutum length, moderately impressed, weakly convergent; scuto-scutellar groove weakly carinate. Mesopleuron densely covered with short hairs, dorsally strigulate-punctate, ventrally very densely punctate; epicnemial carina reaching about 0.9 of distance to subalar ridge, more or less uniformly curved; sternaulus with weak oblique striation; scrobe shallow; mesopleural suture ventrally distinctly carinate, dorsally nearly indistinctly carinate. Median portion of postpectal carina indistinct. Propodeal furrow moderately wide and deep, laterally carinate, medially smooth. Metapleuron anteriorly very densely punctate, posteriorly strigulate, its upper division somewhat scabrous; juxtacoxal carina represented by short ridges indistinguishable from strigulation. Hind coxa densely and finely punctate.

PROPODEUM. 1.35 × as long as wide, sparsely pilose; anterior portion laterally coriarious, medially with strigation curved posteriorward; posterior potion with more or less straight strigation; anterior margin medially straight, laterally with distinct, teeth-like projections; sublateral portion, dorsad spiracle, strongly angled, giving propodeum quadrate aspect; SWL 1.78; posterior transverse carina represented by distinct sublateral crests; between crests, indistinct from remaining strigulation.

WINGS. Fore wing vein 1-Rs+M distinctly sinuate; limit between 1m-cu and 1-Rs+M more or less traceable; vein 1M+Rs anteriorly straight, posteriorly distinctly bent towards wing base; crossvein 1cu-a arising basad 1M+Rs by 0.31 × its own length; vein 2-Cu 0.82 × as long as crossvein 2cu-a, the two veins distinctly angled; APH 0.84, cell 1+2Rs pentagonal, as wide as long, AWL 1.00; crossvein 3r-m mostly spectral; crossveins 2r-m and 3r-m distinctly but weakly convergent, with about the same length; vein 3-M about as long as 2-M; vein 4-Rs slightly sinuate; vein 4-M mostly nebulous, irregular, slightly longer than 4-Rs. Hind wing vein M+Cu apically moderately convex; vein 1-Cu about as long as crossvein 1cu-a, HW1C 1.075; vein Cub apical 0.5 uniformly convex; vein 2- 1A reaching 0.95 of distance to wing margin.

METASOMA. T1 about 0.48 × as long as T2–8, moderately stout, T1LW 2.72, apex much wider than base, T1WW 2.30, anteriorly approximately cylindrical, posteriorly strongly depressed; glabrate and scarcely punctate; spiracle at 0.53 of its length, not prominent; postpetiole with distinct, oval dorsal depression and with more slight lateral depression; dorsolateral carina only faintly suggested near spiracle; ventrolateral carina very weak, anteriorly nearly indistinct. T2 short, T2LW 0.74, apex much wider than base, T2WW 2.14; thyridium slightly wider than long. OST 0.68; ovipositor stout, densely punctate; apex of dorsal valve moderately pointed, nodus giving it more or less triangular aspect; ventral valve with strong swelling, apically with 9 teeth.

Color ( Figs 9–11 ). Head black; mesosoma black and orange with yellowish marks; metasoma mostly black and yellowish. Head: black; mandible dark brown with basal yellowish mark dorsally; clypeus, small mark supraclypeal area, lateral marks at supra-antennal area, and small mark near malar space, yellowish (230, 213, 105); orbital band faintly suggested by lighter areas near the eye; flagellum dark brown, lighter at apex; f5–9 mostly whitish, f10 partially whitish. Mesosoma: mostly bright orange (211, 104, 042); propleuron brownish; pronotum, mesoscutum, most of scutellum first axillar area and dorsal margin of mesopleuron, black; extreme anterior apex of pronotum, scutellar carina, lateral of scutellum, tegula, subalar ridge and propodeal crests, yellowish; fore and mid leg orange, fore tarsus brownish towards apex; hind coxa, trochanters and femur orange; hind tibia basally orange, gradually changing to dark brown; basal 0.8 of hind t1 dark brown; apical 0.2 of t1, and t2–4, whitish; t5 whitish with blackish mark. Metasoma: T1 and S1 bright orange, with faint posterior yellowish stripe; T2–6 and T8 blackish with posterior yellowish stripe; T7 and S2–6 entirely yellowish.

Male. Fore wing around 10 mm long. Generally similar to the female, except by the following: antenna with 39 flagellomeres; clypeus and supraclypeal area, most of mandible and orbital band widely interrupted at dorsal margin of eye, whitish; propodeal crests weaker and placed more posteriorly; strigation at propodeum coarser and less regular; propleuron and fore coxa with whitish marks; hind femur with more extensive blackish marks; hind tibia entirely blackish; hind t1 almost entirely blackish, t2 with basal blackish mark; posterior half of T1 dark brown; S2–3 with small lateral blackish marks.

Comments. Readily differentiated from the other two species by the conspicuous sublateral crests at the propodeum ( Figs 9, 11 ). The color pattern of E. propodeator , sp. nov. is more similar to that of E. nigra , sp. nov., both species having the head mostly black and mesosoma extensively marked with bright orange and black (vs. head and mesosoma almost entirely orange in E. rubra , sp. nov.). However, E. propodeator , sp. nov. can be separated by having extensive yellow marks at head (vs. almost entirely black in E. nigra , sp. nov.); mesopleuron and mesosternum mostly orange (vs. mostly black), tegula and subalar ridge whitish (vs. black), mid leg apicad trochanter mostly orange (vs. mostly black) and apex dorsal valve of ovipositor triangular (vs. somewhat rounded; Figs 4 , 12 ).

Etymology. Arrangement of propodeum with the latin suffix –or, meaning “condition, state”; in reference to the characteristic propodeum with sublateral crests, a diagnostic feature of the species.

Type material. Holotype ♀ from ECUADOR, Tinalandia , ca. Sto. Domingo Colorados, 21–22.VI.1982, CPorter, TO’Neill ( FSCA). Left mid tarsus, right leg apicad trochanter, and left hind t5, missing; otherwise in good condition . Paratype ♂ from ECUADOR, Pichincha, Maquipucuna Biological Station , 1300 m, 18.IV–5.V.1996, Malaise trap, PHibbs ( AEIC) .

Distribution record. Ecuador ( Fig. 13 ).

Figures

FIGURE 13. Map with distribution records for Eknomia nigra, sp. nov. (circle), E. rubra, sp. nov. (square) and E. propodeator, sp. nov. (triangle).

FIGURES 9–12. Eknomia propodeator, sp. nov., holotype. 9, Lateral view. 10, Head, front view. 11, Propodeum, dorsal view. 12, Ovipositor apex, lateral view.

FIGURES 2–4. Eknomia nigra, sp. nov. 2, Holotype, dorsal view. 3, Paratype, head, front view. 4, Paratype, ovipositor tip, lateral view.